2025 Fantasy Baseball: Yandy Diaz Profile, Preview, Predictions
In this story:
Yandy Diaz was a winning fantasy investment two years ago, but the magic of his bat wasn't repeatable last season. He hits the ball hard with a worm-killing swing path.
Yandy Diaz first pitch home run! pic.twitter.com/yPkhaGZwab
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 25, 2024
1B – Yandy Diaz, TB (ADP – 209.7)
Some sharp drafters were on Diaz as a cheat third baseman in 2023. He finished 31st in FPGscore (3.25) for hitters, thanks to his edge in batting average (.330 ~ +3.29 fantasy points).
For anyone doubling down on him in 2024, Diaz finished with a sharp decline in runs (55), home runs (14), and RBIs (65) while having 38 more at-bats. His average hit rate (1.475) had regression rather than an uptick, and he reverted to his career path in contact batting average (.338) after outperforming his previous resume by a wide margin in 2023 (.401). Diaz did maintain his edge in RBI rate (20) while ranking poorly in RBI chances (268).
His strikeout rate (15.3) almost matched his career average (15.0), but Diaz posted a career-low in his walk rate (8.1). His swing path remains groundball-favoring (54.7%), with a further slide in his fly-ball rate (28.0). Diaz looked to be off stride more often at the plate based on his infield flies (15.2% - 5.6 in 2023), leading to a drop in his HR/FB rate (10.6 – 17.7 in 2023). His exit velocity (92.2 mph – 21st) and hard-hit rate (48.7 – 27th) ranked favorably, but Diaz posted weakness in his barrel rate (7.6 – 117th).
Fantasy Outlook: At age 34, Diaz has no chance of hitting 30 home runs with his current swing path. Yes, he hits the ball hard with clutch ability with runners on bases, but buying into his final 2023 stats is a losing fantasy decision based on his current price point. Help in batting average is a given while on a path to only a 75/15/70 season this year.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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